Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)

Subject: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST,olddude
Date: 11 Feb 12 - 08:54 PM

How terribly sad for this news. And a young girl also... such a gifted singer

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: gnu
Date: 11 Feb 12 - 08:57 PM

Oh dear. Amazing voice. RIP young lass.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Amergin
Date: 11 Feb 12 - 09:05 PM

Sadly, this is one of those things that happens if you let the junk rule your life....you will be at the top...and then lower than the bottom...and then you die at a fairly young age. She's definitely not the first one to go that route....and unfortunately will not be the last. Maybe now whatever demons she had will be put to rest.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Mrrzy
Date: 11 Feb 12 - 09:05 PM

Yes, very sorry to hear this even though I didn't know her work, really. Apparently they aren't saying where, let alone how. I do hope it wasn't another bright person brought down by prescriptions.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Beer
Date: 11 Feb 12 - 09:10 PM

WHAT !!!!!
This is a shocker.
Adrien

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: maeve
Date: 11 Feb 12 - 09:11 PM

So sad for her family and friends. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-207_162-57376028/singer-whitney-houston-dies-at-48/

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 11 Feb 12 - 09:12 PM

I was so sorry to hear this sad news. I posted I Will Always Love You
on my Facebook timeline.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: wysiwyg
Date: 11 Feb 12 - 09:44 PM

RIP <3 +

~S~

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: catspaw49
Date: 11 Feb 12 - 10:05 PM

Geeziz....what a shame........Here's the obit from CNN.....Read Dolly Parton's comments.

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Legendary pop singer Whitney Houston was found dead Saturday at a Beverly Hills, California, hotel, officials said. She was 48.

The entertainer, whose incredible talent was discovered at an early age, was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. (6:55 p.m. ET) at the Beverly Hilton despite resuscitation efforts, a police spokesman said.

Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen said there were "no obvious signs of criminal intent" and that the cause of her death is being investigated.

Houston's bodyguard found her body, said Courtney Barnes, publicist for hip-hop artist Ray J, who was dating the pop diva.

According to her official website, Houston sold more than 170 million albums, singles and videos. But she also struggled with addiction problems over the years.

Houston died on the eve of the 54th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Music producer Jimmy Jam, after conversations with those heading up to Sunday's night show, told CNN that he believes the event will change significantly -- including a tribute to the singer.

Houston was set to appear in this year's "Sparkle," a remake of the 1976 hit, which was loosely based on the story of The Supremes. It was her first movie role since 1996's "The Preacher's Wife."

News of her death elicited a flood of reaction on social media, from fans and fellow celebrities alike.







Whitney Houston seemed 'in good spirits'
Music producer Russell Simmons wrote he was "deeply saddened by the death of Whitney Houston."

Dolly Parton, who wrote "I Will Always Love You, said, "mine is only one of the millions of hearts broken over the death of Whitney Houston. I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, 'Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed.'"

Another entertainment legend, Quincy Jones, said he was "absolutely heartbroken" by the news. "She was a true original and a talent beyond compare," he said.

Houston's body of work includes seven straight Billboard No. 1 hits in the 1980s, including "Saving All My Love for You," "How Will I Know," "Greatest Love of All," "Where Do Broken Hearts Go," and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me.)"

Billboard put her soundtrack to the 1992 movie "The Bodyguard" as one of the top 10 biggest-selling albums of all time. She also starred in the film with Kevin Costner. The soundtrack included the hit,"I Will Always Love You."

The daughter of singer Cissy Houston, Whitney was born on August 9, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey. Famed music producer Clive Davis reportedly spotted Houston 20 years later in a New York nightclub, signing her on the spot, according to her website. Davis steered Houston's career for more than 25 years, also serving as a mentor.

The singer's rendition of the national anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl, days into the first Persian Gulf War, earned raves and cemented her place in the American musical landscape.

After "The Bodyguard," Houston went on to appear in several more films in the 1990s, including "Waiting to Exhale."

In 2000, Houston earned her sixth Grammy for best female R&B performance and, a month later, she was named female artist of the decade at the "Soul Train" Music Awards.

Her career stalled, however, in subsequent years as she entered rehab for addiction problems.

In May 2011, Houston got help for her much-publicized struggle with drugs and alcohol, her representative said at the time.

In a 2009 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Houston recalled how her mother arrived one day at her doorstep at her daughter's house with sheriff's officers and a court order in a drug intervention. She talked about doing cocaine and smoking marijuana.

"(My mother) says, 'I have a court (injunction) here," Houston said. "Either you do it my way, or we're just not going to do this at all. We are both going to go on TV, and you're going to retire.'"

Houston had a high-profile and tumultuous marriage to Bobby Brown, a former "New Edition" star who has had multiple brushes with the law. The couple appeared together in the mid-2000s on the reality show "Being Bobby Brown." They had one child together, Bobbi Kristina.

Houston was the cousin of Dionne Warwick, another acclaimed performer.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: katlaughing
Date: 11 Feb 12 - 11:39 PM

How very sad and shocking. I had no idea she'd had so much trouble. Much sympathy to her family and friends.

kat

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST,josepp
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 12:25 AM

That's what she gets for marrying Bobby Brown.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Genie
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 12:52 AM

Such a great talent, she'll be missed.
Yeah, it seems that "helluva band" in rock 'n' roll heaven is growing way too fast with way too many joining it way too soon.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Bugsy
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 12:53 AM

Sad news indeed

Bugsy

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: olddude
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 12:55 AM

She had a beautiful voice, she was a beautiful woman ... what a sad loss ...

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Maryrrf
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 09:33 AM

Normally pop divas aren't really on my radar screen but when I saw this headline I was shocked and saddened. Didn't care for her music but she certainly had a powerful voice and reached great pinnacles in her career. I knew she'd had problems but just assumed she had opted for a quieter life and was doing okay. It's a tragedy that she died so young - RIP Whitney.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 09:56 AM

Probably the highest profile member of a very talented family. No cause of death has been stated but I suppose overdose or suicide or a combination of both will come to mind until more of the story becomes apparent. A sad end to a troubled but very talented soul! RIP!

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST,Roger Knowles
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 09:56 AM

Is this in any way related to folk music? I don't think so.
I have every sadness with this event, she was a great singer, but do not see it as relevant to Mudcat.
IMHO

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Wesley S
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 10:05 AM

Roger - Don't assume that the ONLY music we listen to is folk music. Besides - it's tragic whenever a talent is cut short and ends their life early. IMHO.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 10:05 AM

but do not see it as relevant to Mudcat

Maybe sometimes the human takes precedence over the parochial.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Silas
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 10:13 AM

Am I the only person here who would have prefered listening to a cat with its tail caught in a door that to listen to WH's 'singing'?

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST,josepp
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 10:16 AM

No, Silas, you are not. It's not that she coldn't sing but that she squandered her talent singing crap.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Mrrzy
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 10:55 AM

don't feed the trolls

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 11:08 AM

Whitney Houston was talented and beautiful.

Further up this thread I put a link to the song "I Will Always Love You" which was written by Dolly Parton who is known for her work in American roots (folk), bluegrass and country music. Whitney Houston's version of this song was a massive worldwide success.

I felt so sad last night when I heard about her death.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 11:09 AM

"Is this in any way related to folk music? I don't think so.
I have every sadness with this event, she was a great singer, but do not see it as relevant to Mudcat.
IMHO"

What an arsehole

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 12:35 PM

What a waste. I thought she was great in The Bodyguard.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST,Tom Ghent
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 12:38 PM

I grew up in the 40s and 50s when radio played all genres...Had it not been for this, the entire "folk revival" of the 60s would have never gained the early and large following that it did..In the 60s folk music was a broad umbrella...It truly saddens me that over the last few decades, that umbrella has shrunk, both to the determent of "folk" music and the fans, as well..Whitney Houston was a great singer and she will be missed....I consider myself among the "folks" who loved her music, and mourn the fact that she never got to truly enjoy her success as much as many of us got to enjoy her singing....Rest in peace Whitney.....Perhaps you will find in eternity, what you were unable to find here......

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST,josepp
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 12:49 PM

Bunch of hypocritical crap. Her career was over years ago. None of you seemed to miss her then. She became a walking train wreck, I didn't read any laments from anyone here about that. Now she's dead--to no intelligent person's surprise--and here come the crocodile tears---"oh, Poor Whitney"--you should have been singing that tune long ago if you were paying any sort of attention at all. She lost her voice years ago, folks. Her last real concerts were disasters where people demanded their money back because she couldn't sing anymore. This was years ago. Where have you great Whitney-lovers been all this time?

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Don Firth
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 01:23 PM

My only real acquaintance with Whitney Houston was in the movie "The Bodyguard," where she sang Dolly' Parton's "I Will Always Love You." That's one of those songs that, between the song itself and the beautiful rich-voiced clarity with which Houston sang it, I found hightly engaging and highly memorable. Not the kind of song I would sing myself (not my genre, nor do I don't think I could bring it off), but a good song, and marvelously, memorably sung by Whitney Houston.

A beautiful woman with a great talent, and a tragedy that she was not able to keep her life together. She deserved better than that.

####

Frankly, I am disgusted by a couple of people here who came to the wake and, for some petty reason, feel they have to piss in the punchbowl.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Beer
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 01:45 PM

Well said Don.
ad.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Silas
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 01:52 PM

No, sorry mate, I held my opinions long before her sad demise and have no intention of changing them just because she has gone. Unlike some people here.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Don Firth
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 02:02 PM

Well, different people hear things different ways, I guess. But if you didn't like her, why come to the wake in the first place?

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Silas
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 02:07 PM

Frankly, because I fould all the plaudits quite nauseating - however, I rather regret doing it now and wish I hadn't. I would delete my comments if I could, not because I have changed my opinion, but perhaps they were out of place at this time.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 02:24 PM

I wish you hadn't as well. A woman of talent and beauty is dead. Have some respect.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Don Firth
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 02:33 PM

Something to contemplate, Silas:

I've been an opera fan since I was a teenager. I have never understood why some folks thought that Maria Callas was so great, especially when compared to other sopranos. I thought she was slightly off-pitch most of the time, and her vocal tone had a sort of harsh, "glassy" edge to it.

But there was great mourning in the opera world when she died. One of the great divas of all time was gone.

Maybe some others heard things in her performances that I didn't. And, indeed, they were. I had never seen her live, only hearing her on records or in Met radio broadcasts. Those who had seen her live all said that, even if her voice was a bit "iffy" sometimes, she was an absolutely compelling actress. Which many opera divas are not.

The fact is that, by any standard, Whitney Houston had a really great voice. Rich, clear, solidly on pitch, wide range (over three octaves), and she delivered a song with great feeling.

Perhaps others are hearing something you ard not. Try giving her another listen.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: catspaw49
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 02:34 PM

Silas.... As one who has often been there, done that, and got the t-shirt, I appreciate your last post. Thanks.


Spaw

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Silas
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 03:03 PM

Eliza - I completley fail to see just what 'beauty' has to do with anything - are you saying that if she was ugly it wouldn't be so bad!!!

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Wesley S
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 03:50 PM

Jeez Silas - give it a rest. Go kick a puppy.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Silas
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 03:53 PM

Wind your neck in wes.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST,olddude
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 03:55 PM

No it isn't about the looks, it is about talent that was untimely lost. She could do it all, she could act, many women musicians today said she was the reason they started to sing. She had an amazing voice and yes she had the looks of a runway model. She had it all, now it is lost untimely as so many other greats in the music business from Monroe to Joplin ... And as a human being and a lover of all kinds of music, I can't help but say what a terrible loss.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: alanabit
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 04:23 PM

It was not my music at all, but her talent was established beyond doubt. It is sad when any life remains unfulfilled. I remember the words of David Kossoff on the death of his son Paul, the guitarist. He said that his credentials as a musician had already been posted - it was his potential as a human being which had not been fulfilled. (I paraphrase him, of course). One wishes any human being a happy and secure later life with the chance to enjoy the comfort of all generations. I would have wished Whitney Houston that as much as I would have wished it for anyone else. I hope her troubled soul is at peace now.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 05:56 PM

Silas, I meant beautiful in character not looks. Physical beauty is a subjective thing, and changes radically over time. But Whitney was much loved for her innate beauty; she encouraged and helped many. (And don't bite ME just because you've been a bit of a prat!)

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST,999
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 06:26 PM

Whitney Houston Charity Work, Events and Causes

Charity biography

I'd say the gal had some substance.



"Whitney Houston shot to fame in the 1980s when she became one of the first African-American female artists to receive regular rotation on MTV – a feat that successfully opened doors for other women to find success in music and movies. Best known for her work with Kevin Costner in "The Bodyguard", Houston has led a life of service to others when not on screen or behind a microphone.

The 44-year-old first showed her socially-conscious side when still a model, before her fame rocketed her to stardom. Back then she refused to work for agencies that did business with South Africa, due to the country's regime of apartheid. It was an issue that she later brought to the attention of the world when she performed at Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Concert in London, an event that brought pressure on the Government to ease its restrictions and eventually release the future president of South Africa.

Following the concert, Houston formed the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children, an organization that cared for the homeless and children with cancer and AIDS. It eventually brought the singer one of her many awards for her humanitarian work, as did her involvement with the United Negro College Fund.

Houston is also the only artist to turn the national anthem into a chart hit when her rendition of The Star Spangled Banner reached the Top 100 in 1991. She donated her royalties to the Red Cross.

In 1997, the HBO Concert "Classic Whitney live from Washington DC" raised over $300000 for the Children's Defense Fund.

In 2011, she partnered with her sister-in-law in launching a line of scented candles to benefit charity.

For a comprehensive list of Whitney's charity work, visit Whitney-Fan.com.

Whitney Houston passed away in February, 2012."

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Gervase
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 06:57 PM

Costner failed, though. Doh!

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Silas
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 07:30 PM

Well Elizxa dear, I think it yourself who is being a pratt. I stand by every word i have written.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 09:34 PM

999,Thanks for your post regarding Ms. Houston's charity work. I feel better knowing that she left such a positive legacy.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 10:38 PM

My condolences to Whitney's family, friends, and fans.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 13 Feb 12 - 02:52 AM

Well done Adele, a normawwww English working class gerwwwwwwwww!!!!!

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST,Bluesman
Date: 13 Feb 12 - 09:04 AM

Whitney Houston had a great voice,but she wasn't liked by many who came across her as it was often reported that she was always rude and arrogant.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: MikeL2
Date: 13 Feb 12 - 09:36 AM

hi

Very sad for her family and friends but surely not really a surprise?

Mike

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 13 Feb 12 - 02:19 PM

Back to Whitney. We see this so often. Some ordinary schmo achieves fame and fortune, perhaps through music or sports. Next thing, the dealers and the hangers on come around, wanting to do dope, get drunk and party. Next thing, the schmo is an addict. Then she's dead.

What happens to their common sense? Their self-respect? Their instinct for self-preservation?

I guess people who come into serious money and don't know how to handle it lose all their real friends.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Brian May
Date: 13 Feb 12 - 03:43 PM

Great singer . . . once upon a time. Pretty lady too, once (although that IS irrelevant)

She was most definitely NOT the person she acted in her films.

She had all the breaks that 'normal' people can only dream about, and managed to screw it up by mixing with the wrong people and taking drugs and drinking booze - nobody forced her to do it, she chose.

With rights, come responsibilities, she was a role model once, but managed to screw that up.

No 'crocodile tears' here. I also think all the 'poor Whitney' comments are misplaced if understandable.

Why didn't her friends and family help get her off the stuff - well, they probably couldn't because she chose to do it?

QED.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Feb 12 - 03:54 PM

No one lives a perfect life, no one deserves to die young. I suspect the life of a superstar is a social pressure-cooker. It's not crocodile tears to be sad this happened.

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST,NoTearsHere
Date: 13 Feb 12 - 08:59 PM

Quote: "Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen said there were "no obvious signs of criminal intent" and that the cause of her death is being investigated."

No criminal intent? Huh. So that's OK then. But what about the scum drug producers, drug mules, drug couriers, drug dealers, drug pushers, etc.? They ALL had criminal intent in supplying her and her immediate circle including her husband with cocaine and God knows what other drugs for their own monetary greed. How many more brilliant singers and musicians must be lost to their respective families and millions of fans due to the scum who make vast profits out of other people's misery?

Cocaine and its ilk is a multi-billion dollar industry. This is greater that the GNP of some countries. Its production is desecrating the Amazon and its native peoples. It is not only ruining the lives of the talented rich and stupid like Houston, it is ruining the lives of many of those in the professional classes, e.g. bankers, stock brokers, etc., and the lives of millions of youngsters following the lead of their supposed elders.

Houston was a great singer. But a role model she was not. As an example to the young people who were her fans she was stupid and selfish. She demonstrated an appalling example of lack of parental responsibility.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Bill D
Date: 13 Feb 12 - 09:52 PM

Well, I am ready for something else in the news. As special she was in many people's hearts, the ongoing 'story' is eclipsing world events and detracting from 'important' things.

All weekend, I can sort of understand, but I hope they lower the volume a bit now.....

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 14 Feb 12 - 12:04 AM

I think many, many people need an education in how to recognize and deal with predatory people. I believe it's something we don't usually get.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST,M.Ted
Date: 14 Feb 12 - 04:36 AM

It is being reported that Xanax, Lorazepam, and Valium, rather than cocaine, or other illegal drugs, were the culprits. Drugs which had been prescribed legally.

Not a surprise, really, since, according to the CDC, "By 2009, the number of deaths involving prescription drugs was four times the number involving illicit drugs."

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Brian May
Date: 14 Feb 12 - 06:06 AM

. . . and they forced her to take them individually or together?

But point taken.

It's about personal responsibility, sadly those still living who see this probably won't take any notice, because if they did, they'd not be in a similar position in the first place.

Each of us has to learn to live with ourselves, both light AND dark sides. If you manage that, you don't need drugs of any kind (talking about stuff that affects psychology not physiology).

Sad though, things like this always are.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Feb 12 - 01:00 AM

These three drugs are given to treat anxiety, and, even though they are related, one is faster, one lasts longer, etc and when one doesn't help, doctors will often give patients the others as alternatives, so the patient ends up with all of them on the bedstand, and decides which to take, depending on the situation(not really supposed to do that, but the doctorr didn't quite say not to, either....)

Thing is that all three drugs are "paradoxical", meaning that too much makes you more anxious, causing the patient to take one of the others, and making things even worse, because each drug can magnify the effects of the others. And alcohol makes them worse yet.

The tabloids describe her erratic, confrontational behavior, which is a common side effect of overuse, as is memory loss(forgetting what and how much was taken) as is acute respiratory failure--and that could have been it.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Feb 12 - 03:47 AM

Oh, and they are all highly addictive, and sudden withdrawl can be fatal.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Brian May
Date: 15 Feb 12 - 09:18 AM

I see Sony have been trounced by the internet again . . .

Whitney Houston's last two albums were hiked in price by about £3.00 ($5.00 US), within hours of her death being announced.

Funnily enough, it was 'an administrative error' . . . hmmm, without Twitter, I suspect they'd have stuck with it.

No wonder these music companies get ripped off by 'ordinary folks' when they're that cynical.

Commercial fact: Her dying isn't such a bad thing for such as them . . . sales will rocket:
e.g.
Jim Reeves
Buddy Holly
Elvis Presley
Michael Jackson et al

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Silas
Date: 15 Feb 12 - 10:41 AM

Well, I don't really see the problem. All trading companies will pitch their prices at what they think the market can stand. Just good business practice really. Happens in all areas - the only exception I can think of is Eva Cassidy who seems to have recorded more stuff since she died than when she was alive.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Wesley S
Date: 15 Feb 12 - 11:26 AM

And I'm sure we can expect several more Whitney Houston recordings to come out very soon.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Wesley S
Date: 15 Feb 12 - 01:46 PM

Here's a new twist:

Full story here

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has ordered flags to be flown at half staff throughout the state during Whitney Houston's funeral Saturday in honor of late pop singer's death. The 48-year-old music icon's body was found in the bathtub of her Beverly Hills hotel room Saturday afternoon.

Gov. Christie said Houston was a "cultural icon" who belongs in the same category in New Jersey music history as legendary singers such as Frank Sinatra, Count Basie and rocker Bruce Springsteen. The governor called Houston's accomplishments in the music industry "a great source of pride for the people of the state."

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Brian May
Date: 16 Feb 12 - 06:48 AM

Boy - 'The Emperor's New Clothes' has rarely been so well represented.

A lady in UK nearly burnt her house down lighting a candle and sharing her thoughts with Whitney? Whatever she's on, it must be good stuff.

When you consider it, 'Celebrities' and the like, be they actors, singers or other performers seem to take the place of 'royalty' in the US culture.

Sadly, by definition, these folks are generally paid to not be the people they are! Therein lies the problem when they're promoted as 'cultural icons', the spirit of denial is stunning.
They're human, just like the rest of us, with the same foibles but so much money they can plumb the depths of the human condition.

Flags at half mast for a singer? If I didn't think they were serious, I'd think it was a bad joke. She was a well-known junkie.

There are not a lot of 'legends' about - proper ones like Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, I certainly don't see Whitney Houston as a legend. Give me strength . . .

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 16 Feb 12 - 12:07 PM

"There are not a lot of 'legends' about - proper ones like Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, I certainly don't see Whitney Houston as a legend. Give me strength . . . "

can you be referring to the same Jim Bowie who not only was a slave trader, but actually smuggled in slaves that he "rebought at auction" to make them legal? Who knows? Maybe he once owned an ancester or two of Whitney.

I was never a "fan" of hers, but I do respect the talent she had and lament that her life didn't meet her potential... but that's one of the problems of being a human being... we screw up, some worse than others.

Give us all the strength to stay as positive as we can as we go through life.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: Brian May
Date: 16 Feb 12 - 03:34 PM

Yep, that'll be the one, but Jim Bowie IS a legend, probably far greater than the man ever was.

She was a great singer. That was her job and she was REALLY well paid for it.

As for human - OH YES, that's the point I was making, she's not a 'cultural icon', she never was, she was just an entertainer (and for a short while, an exceptional one).

The rest is over-emotional BS.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Feb 12 - 06:40 PM

Total drug dealing SCUM from the source to the dealer. And who got her hooked in the first place? Her fiends, her husband(s), her lovers? So many 'friends' at her funeral. Who helped her when she needed it most? No-one. What about the medical profession? Her doctors prescribed all kinds of pills and potions for her addiction.

Quote:

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/236207

WHITNEY Houston secretly scored a cocaine fix hours before her death...by pretending her drug dealer was an autograph hunter.

As she was laid to rest before a worldwide audience of hundreds of millions, her supplier told the Daily Star Sunday how he concealed a £190 stash inside a pen.

While the tragic star partied with pals in a Hollywood club, David Joseph says he acted like an excited fan looking for a signature.

Those around Whitney may have thought it was an innocent request but the pen he handed her was filled with three-and-a-half grams of cocaine.

According to Joseph, Whitney returned his piece of paper, complete with signature, with the cash he was due hidden underneath.

And she kept the pen so she could feed an addiction which saw her spend up to £1,500 a week on the drug.

Joseph, who considered Whitney "just another customer", recalled: "We just kind of played it off, you know like 'Oh I'm a big fan'. She'd then say, 'Thanks for listening. Thanks for being a fan'.

"We didn't have an in-depth conversation or anything. She knew what I was there for.

"She was a little f**king wasted. But it's one o'clock, f**king club, they've got f**king free bottles and shit, they were drinking all night."

The drug ruse worked, said Joseph, because they had done it before.

"Both times it was an eight ball [an eighth of an ounce of cocaine] and both times it was $300," he said.

"There were a lot of people around and stuff like that so I did my autograph move.

"I just asked her for her autograph and I got a pen ready, it's full of coke.

"I hand it to her, (she) signs it, she keeps the pen, she gives me the autograph and the money's in there underneath it. It works out pretty good."

He revealed that over the "last couple of weeks...four or five grand" of cocaine had been ordered by Whitney.

"Total? Maybe half a million, or something."

Two days after the illicit transaction at the Tru Hollywood nightclub in Los Angeles the troubled superstar was found dead in her hotel bath at the age of 48.

It is believed she was also taking a cocktail of prescription drugs, which may have led her to slip under the water.

Joseph – which is an alias to hide his true identity – refuses to blame the "high quality shit" he gave Whitney and defiantly claims: "I'm not the one that killed Whitney Houston.

"Nobody's going to pass out in a bathtub being spun out on cocaine. They're going to be cleaning the bathtub, if anything.

"It was something else. It was prescription shit. If anything my shit would have helped. Hollywood's biggest problem is prescription medication, definitely.

"They can get it anywhere. Any f**king shady ass doctor, or plastic surgeon, or foot doctor, it doesn't matter, they'll prescribe whatever.

"You know, it's harder to get weed in this town than it is prescription pills.

"All these doctors prescribing her pills, Xanax, antidepressants, sleeping pills, whatever, they're the ones to blame, they're the professionals, you know."

When he heard Whitney had died in the Beverly Hilton Hotel last Saturday, Joseph says he was a "little bit surprised". He said: "I never thought it was my fault.

"A lot of these kind of has-been type celebrities, if you will, they're like fading away. They're not really in the spotlight any more so they just need something to pep them up.

"So they just hit me up. They just want to feel good...and I help them do that."

Joseph says that over the years he sold Whitney around $500,000 – or £315,000 – of what he calls "good product".

He says calls were made from a withheld number to arrange delivery and in recent weeks she was buying up to $4-5,000 worth a fortnight.

"I'm giving this interview today to just clean the slate. Be like, 'Hey, yeah, I'm a drug dealer but I'm not the one that killed Whitney Houston'.

"I don't feel that I was solely responsible for Whitney's death.

"She's probably prescribed tons of prescription pills from several different doctors and I'm definitely not the only one that contributed to that death, if I did at all."

Joseph, who claims he also dealt drugs to troubled actor Charlie Sheen, 46, added: "I'll remember Whitney as a legendary icon in music.

"But at the same time I'll remember her as just another customer.

"She was never sober when I met her. She looked a lot older than her age. I thought she was older than 48.

"She looked like she'd been rode hard and put away wet, kind of thing.

"She'd been through a lot but no more than any other semi-washed-up Hollywood chick."

He defended his drug peddling, saying: "I'm making a living. I've got to make a living somehow.

"You know, I tried the regular shit, it just didn't work out for me. I just happen to be better at this, so I went with it.

"You know, I'm always thinking about doing something better for myself but you know what? As it is right now – this works. Gets the job done.

"I pay my bills just like everybody else, I just do it in a different way."

Of Whitney's partying, he added: "She wasn't doing anything excessive that normal people aren't doing.

"She just liked to have a good time. You know public Whitney was probably a little bit more subdued, I guess."

He added: "She was a little nutty sometimes but she knew what she wanted. She wasn't too crazy or anything."

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 20 Feb 12 - 09:15 AM

I was dreading this thread starting because I could predict what the reaction of some would be. A lot of people especially here in the UK tend to get all sanctimonious as soon as they hear something like this happening and leap straight to the drug taking and heavy drinking before anything else (and if they can find any sleaze that too). Straight for the jugular. The Whitney Houston that I was sad about was the early Whitney Huston who made every song a classic and her own. So many young up and coming stars have been influenced by her songs and styled themselves on her singing getting them started. That said it is not my kind of music not something I would go out and buy but it doesn't stop me appreciating the professionalism she had. Drug addiction any addiction changes people and the rude and arrogant Whitney possibly a result of that.

The funeral, now that was something else which I thought was getting to look cheesier by the minute. Did they set up Bobby Brown storming out of the church out to add to the drama? It was made to look so tacky that I was beginning to suspect it. Stevie Wonder's contribution looked like it had been cut-out and taken from the Jackson funeral and planted there. Perhaps it was just the way it came across but it seemed such an undignified end.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: Silas
Date: 20 Feb 12 - 09:27 AM

Does anyone really give a monkeys? There are thousands of people who have led really worthwhile lives who die everyday and get no recognition whatsoever, mind you, they would probably prefer it that way that all of this sycophantic bullshit.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: Jeri
Date: 20 Feb 12 - 09:59 AM

I figured this was another opportunity for some snotty Brits to get their hate and 'holier than thou' on. So far, a couple of you have posted something that showed you weren't in this 'Obit' thread to bitch. Thanks you.

The rest, unfortunately, are behaving true to character.
Sometimes, it isn't all about YOUR fucking opinion.

The more I learn, the sadder this becomes. Nobody seems to have a bad word to say about her...

...except a few bitter Brits,
...on Mudcat

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: Silas
Date: 20 Feb 12 - 11:10 AM

Not bitter, just nonplussed.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: Jeri
Date: 20 Feb 12 - 11:31 AM

That's a bit of untruth, isn't it? You were 'plussed' enough to make 10 posts to this thread.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: Silas
Date: 20 Feb 12 - 11:45 AM

OK, if you want the 'truth', I can't see what all the fuss is about. A third rate singer /druggie takes an overdose. End of story.

She was hardly a role model, and, frankly, she is better off where she is rather than poisioning the lives of impessionable young people.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Feb 12 - 03:42 PM

Talk about hypocritical posts - slam Houston for dying from a combined drug intoxication. Did you all pile on when Heath Ledger died that way? Or some of these folks?

Many celebrities have died from CDI/MDI, including:

Writer/actor/comedian Freddy Soto from fentanyl, alprazolam and alcohol;

Pro westling manager Elizabeth Ann Hulette aka Miss Elizabeth from alcohol, temazepam, oxycodone, hydrocodone and anabolic steroids;

Child actress Anissa Jones from cocaine, PCP, methaqualone and secobarbital;

Pro wrestler Louie Spicolli from carisoprodol, alcohol, painkillers and lorazepam;

Hawthorne Heights guitarist Casey Calvert from citalopram, clonazepam and hydrocodone;[2][6]

Actor Nick Adams from paraldehyde and promazine;

Acid rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix from alcohol and barbiturates;

Singer Elvis Presley had over 10 drugs in his system[citation needed] when he died. (The license of his physician, Dr. George C. Nichopoulos was later suspended and then revoked after press reports from then-ABC News reporter Geraldo Rivera on 20/20.);

Lester Bangs from diazepam and propoxyphene;

Deep Purple's Tommy Bolin from alcohol and prescription drugs and illegal drugs in combination;

David Anthony Kennedy, son of Senator Robert Francis Kennedy, from cocaine, pethidine and thioridazine;

Singer Johnny O'Keefe from combining several prescription drugs;

Steve Clark of rock group Def Leppard from combining antidepressants, tranquilizers and alcohol;

Actor Lani O'Grady of Eight is Enough from hydrocodone and fluoxetine;

Bridgette Andersen from alcohol and multiple drugs;

Edie Sedgwick from barbiturates and alcohol;

Dana Plato from carisoprodol and hydrocodone;

Actor/comedian Eric Douglas from alcohol, hydrocodone and temazepam;

Actor Heath Ledger from toxic combination of prescribed drugs;

Michael Jackson from propofol and two other sedatives;

Brittany Murphy from multiple prescription drugs;

The Rev of Avenged Sevenfold from oxycodone, oxymorphone, diazepam, nordiazepam and alcohol.

Slipknot bassist Paul Gray from morphine and fentanyl

New York Rangers forward Derek Boogaard from oxycodone and alcohol.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: Silas
Date: 21 Feb 12 - 04:02 AM

Hypocritical? How do you mean?

I have no time, sympathy or crocodile tears for anyone on your list, they are the authors of thier own misfortune.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: Don Firth
Date: 21 Feb 12 - 01:30 PM

Yeah, "sanctimonious." That's the word.

May you receive and equal dose of sympathy when it comes your time to shuffle off this mortal coil.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Feb 12 - 08:04 PM

So you have "no time" yet you're camped out on this thread spreading nastiness throughout. Yup. Hypocrit.

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 21 Feb 12 - 08:36 PM

mudcat can be such a curious place..

maybe says a lot that Whitney Houston can provoke far more ongoing interest than Dory Previn ????

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: michaelr
Date: 22 Feb 12 - 07:38 PM

The editor of my local paper had some thoughts worth reading. Here's an excerpt (italics are mine):

"What have we learned in the wake of Houston's death? We've learned that ex-husband Brown carried on with a concert the night of her passing; that her final performance was in L.A., of the gospel song "Jesus Loves Me"; that Sony Music, incapable of ever earning enough scorn to affect their massive market share, raised the price of Houston's Ultimate Collection by $4.70 within 30 minutes of her death; that on recent live recordings, her voice was not nearly as shot as TMZ would want us to believe; that she died like so many others, on pills, in a bathtub, alone, in a moment of whatever peace she'd found for herself far from the hailstorm of criticism and abuse and cheap digs and cheaper punch lines.

What we haven't learned, though, is how to properly treat a talent like Houston, like all those who died before her and all who will be next. We may never learn the knack of this game, of propping up and knocking down. For the moment, at least, cue up "Where Do Broken Hearts Go," entertain a sliver of compassion in the place where society tells us to laugh, and allow Whitney Houston's once-indomitable voice to sink in." -Gabe Meline

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: Don Firth
Date: 23 Feb 12 - 07:24 PM

Verily!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Apr 12 - 07:45 AM

Interesting that the Autopsy report says:

Significant amounts of cocaine were found in her blood, she'd perforated or about to the septum (I was reading a paraphrased report), this is in addition to the anti-depressants she was taking. Also traces of pot.

She was a mess. So all the do-gooders ought to re-examine the role model they're promoting when praising this woman and setting her up as some sort of icon (especially recently).

Or is this just another case of the 'Emperor's New Clothes', musn't tell the truth, let's pretend everything is shiny and clean?

It wasn't, it was sad, squalid and quite a bit sordid.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Apr 12 - 07:46 AM

The 'Guest' above, is Brian May, my cookie doesn't work when I'm AT work.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: Brian May
Date: 05 Apr 12 - 07:48 AM

Cookie reset worked!

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: Stringsinger
Date: 05 Apr 12 - 10:20 AM

The commercial music industry creates a type of singer that is deified for his/her
drug abuse, when it is actually caused by the specious demands of that business.
Ugly merchants want to maximize their profits at the expense of talent by whipping
their artists into performances that they might well have moderated by less going on the road and pushing so hard to sell their recordings.

It speaks to the corporatizing of America and it's emphasis on profit over people.

The solution is to ignore the values of the commercial music industry which is why
folk music is so important as an alternative.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: Brian May
Date: 05 Apr 12 - 11:45 AM

Absolutely . . . well said.

Posted just now but it didn't appear, be prepared for a dual post.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: meself
Date: 05 Apr 12 - 11:50 AM

Oh, we can't wait.

Subject: RE: Obit: Whitney Houston dead at 48 (1963-2012)
From: Brian May
Date: 05 Apr 12 - 02:13 PM

Looks like you've been spared 'meself'.